Bicycle ride from New York to Georgia to benefit Tripp Halstead

Allie Jackson

Wednesday

Jun 26, 2013 at 9:51 PM

Eight-time Ironman Triathlon competitor Dave Nazaroff set off Wednesday from his hometown of Nyack, N.Y., on a 900-mile bicycle ride to Jefferson as a fundraiser for 2-year-old Tripp Halstead, who was critically injured last year when a tree limb fell on him at a Winder daycare facility.

Nazaroff and his wife, Kaete, learned about Tripp's situation on Facebook, and decided to solicit funds to help the family. Nazaroff promised to deliver a check for the donated funds, which exceeded $125,000, to the Halsteads by bicycle, handing the check over to them in person. The funds are intended to help Tripp's mother stay out of work to aid her toddler in his recovery.

Tripp was injured in October when winds associated with Hurricane Sandy broke a tree limb which struck him, causing a traumatic brain injury. Emergency surgery revealed the impact had shattered Tripp's skull into multiple pieces. His subsequent recovery has had ups and downs, both physically for him, and emotionally for his family.

His parents, Bill and Stacy Halstead, have utilized social media to chronicle his daily progress. His Facebook fan page has garnered more than 700,000 followers.

"When I looked at Tripp's picture, I could not believe his resemblance to our 2-year-old son, George. Same age, blond hair, blue eyes, joyful grin," said Kaete Nazaroff. "I couldn't shake the thought of 'What if this happened to George? What if this happened to us?' The Halsteads are an active, fun family just like we are."

Before completing the last leg of his journey, now anticipated for July 1, Nazaroff will stop in the Kroger parking lot at 1685 Old Pendergrass Road, just outside Jefferson, to pick up a special passenger. He will pull Tripp behind his bike to complete his 900-mile trek. The community is invited to join the last stretch of the ride for a celebration at the Jefferson Recreation Complex, 2495 Old Pendergrass Road. Those interested in joining the rise are being asked to arrive at Kroger at 9 a.m.

Nazaroff is expected to complete his journey at 11 a.m. Monday, when he will deliver the check to Bill and Stacy Halstead. As of 2 p.m. Wednesday, he had reached Pennsylvania and was expected to be in Lancaster, about 172 miles from Nyack, by the end of the day. Today is expected to be his longest day of travel, as he bicycles more than 184 miles to New Market, Va.

The Nazaroffs plan to continue the Toga Multisport Club Ride to Give annually for a family in need. For more information on the ride for the Halsteads, including live tracking of Nazaroff's progress, go to http://on.fb.me/124bLnq. For more information on Tripp Halstead go to http://on.fb.me/PvzLhQ